Whether you have become a Christian or not, you have
a powerful enemy you have never seen. His name is Satan, otherwise known
as the devil. You don't believe he's real? That doesn't change a thing,
and only makes his job easier. When people think he's only a cute little
cartoon character with horns and a pointed tail, they certainly aren't going
to be on their guard against him.
Who is he, and where did he come from? He is a fallen angel, who was cast
out of Heaven. And he is not alone.And there was war in heaven, Michael and his
angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war,
and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for
them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old
who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was
thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. (Revelations
12:7-9)
He and his fellow satanic spirits are your enemies because they are determined
to keep you out of the place they will never return to. Satan will work
every angle he possibly can to accomplish this task. If you are not a Christian,
he will attempt to keep you from becoming one. And if you are a Christian,
he will do everything in his power to turn you away from following Christ.Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary,
the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
(1 Peter 5:8)
He is a formidable foe. He has had thousands of years of experience deceiving
human beings, and you are no match for him. For those who are not under
the protection of God as His children, we can offer you no advice as to
how you can be safe from his damaging influence except to become born-again
believers. For believers, we offer the following as a help in dealing with
your spiritual adversary.
First of all, it always helps to know your enemy and his traits.He is not humanFor our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of
this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly
places. (Ephesians 6:12)
Part of the challenge of being a successful Christian is learning to live
on the spiritual plane when you've been so used to living for the most part
only on the physical plane. You must become skilled at defeating the incursions
of demonic spirits on the plane they exist upon through the power of God
within you.He is not omniscient, omnipresent, or omnipotent
In a word, he is not God. While he is indeed intensely powerful and the
very fount of evil influence in this world, don't ascribe to him more power
than he actually has.He can appear to be something he is notNo wonder, for even Satan disguises himself
as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)
He may come to you in the form of a proponent of Christianity, a friend
of God. You must learn to discern between his spirit and the Spirit of the
Lord by leaning on the latter to guide you and give you understanding.He will attempt to twist God's wordsAnd he said to the woman, "Indeed, has
God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'? You surely will
not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be
opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis
3:1,4-5)
He will take God's direction to you, and the words of the Bible, and attempt
to make them mean something altogether different than God intended. Again,
discernment between God's Spirit and the spirit of Satan is critical.He is a liar...for he is a liar and the father of lies.
(John 8:44)
Knowing the Bible and heeding the warnings of the Spirit of God are our
weapons against his chicanery.
Once knowing your foe, you are in a better position to defeat him. The key
thing
to remember is this: Let God deal with him. As we stated before, you cannot
overcome him with your own strength and wisdom. When he knocks on your door
to attack you, discourage you, tempt you, or whatever, don't answer it.
Let the Lord meet him and conquer him.
Many believers get into trouble by failing to heed this simple advice. They
will instead invite Satan in, offer him a seat on the couch, and begin to
converse with him. Bad idea. Don't give him the time of day. Ignore him.
The Bible tells us, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James
4:7). It works. Be consistent in your refusal to be drawn into conversation
with him.
And here's something more that mature Christians can use that really annoys
him: Laugh at him. Thomas More of the sixteenth century wrote, "The Devil,
the proud spirit, cannot endure to be mocked." He wants to be worshipped
and feared, so when we afford him no respect and let him know he is a loser
destined for Hell, he leaves in anger. New believers should avoid this tactic
as he is more likely to launch a fearsome attack on those who have offended
his dignity, but who are not yet skilled at spiritual warfare.
So how can you know whether it's Satan or God speaking to you? This isn't
easy for new believers. All kinds of thoughts can be swirling around in
their minds, and they often have difficulty discerning who is speaking to
them. But you can learn whose voice is whose, and it's critical that you
do.
Satan tends to harangue. He is loud. He is grating. He often repeats his
insinuations and poisonous suggestions over and over and over. You feel
a sense of unease when he is talking to you. And if you stop and really
consider what he is urging you to think or do, you will see that it isn't
leading toward God and holiness. He will come up with a thousand angles
as to why you shouldn't obey God, and isn't above contradicting himself
in hopes of finally getting you to bite down on his poison pill.
God speaks with a singular, quiet voice. He doesn't repeat Himself until
time has passed and you have yet to heed Him. Even then, He will never enter
into a tirade. He always speaks in agreement with the Bible, never against
it. His words lead you toward light and good. They build up, rather than
tear down. And you will sense His presence when He is speaking.
All this takes time to learn. You will make mistakes. But don't despair,
just keep pressing on, always calling on God for wisdom to better meet Satan's
challenges in the future. Be always mindful that, "greater is He who is
in you than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). Keep your hand in Christ's,
and no one that rises against you will ever prevail.